Machine and method for forming mineral-wool bats



June 17, 1930. w L MlLLER 1,765,025

MACHINE AND METHOD FOR FORMING MINERAL wooL` BATS Filed yJuly 28, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 1 Il.d1

June 17, 1930. w. L. MILLER MACHINE AND METHOD FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL BATS Filed July 28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fillll .vir

@Hoz new Patented June 17,1930

i' aeaczs WILLIAM LOTT MILLER, F WINONA, MINNESOTA MACHINE AND METHOD FOR FORMING MINERAL-WOVL BATS Application led J7u1y 28,

It is my object to provide a novel machine and method for forming mineral. wool into a blanket or bat of any desired thickness and thereby facilitate the packaging and hany dling of measured quantities of the wool.

A further object is to improve the efficiency of the wool as insulating material by insuring a thorough and compact feltingof the fibers together and by eliminating rinde-- l0 sirable particles, such as the glass beads or shot-, which are usually mixed with the mineral fibers.

@ther objects are to reduce the cost of manuiacture and preparation for shipping and to generally improve the eiiiciency and speed of the manufacturing process.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a long and relatively narrow chamber, in place of the usual settling chamber, and a conveyor, occupying the lower part of the chamber, is arranged to receive the fibers which are blown into the chamber as they are formed. rIhe slag, rock or other minerals- 'for forming the wool may be reduced to molten state in a furnace or cupola of common type and a jet of air or steam may be applied to a stream of the molten mineral' so as to form the fibers in the usual manner. The jet is arranged to direct the particles into a long and relatively narrow chamber,

where they settle upon the conveyor, forming a continuous loosely felted blanket. The conveyor is arranged to deliver this bat or blanket through an opening in oneend of the chamber and means are provided near the delivery end ofthe conveyor for compressing -the bat. The 'finished bat is finally rolled into packages of convenient size. The thickness of the -bat may bel regulated by changing the -speed of the conveyor and by adjusting the position of the compressing means/near thefdelivery end of the conveyor.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one form of machine suitable for carrying out my invention. In the drawings, Figure 1 isa diagrammatic side viewv of my invention, showing the settling chamber in vertical, longitudinal section; Fig. 2 is a sec-A tion taken on the line 9f-2 of Fig. 1; Fig..

3 is a fragmentary endlview showing the dedrat therefor.

1927. serial No. 208,955.

livery end of the conveyor, suitable driving mechanism and means for compressing the bat; Fig. 4 is a typical, transverse section through the conveyor; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, side view, showing the compressing means and dri-ving mechanism therefor and Fig., 6 is a detail of the speed controlling means, as viewed from the right of Fig. 3.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, I provide a long and relatively narrow chamber 7 into which the particles of mineral wool 8 are blown by a jet of air or steam delivered by a nozzle 9. A foraminous conveyor 10 is arranged to receive the mineral wool particles within the chamber 7 and is operated at a slow speed, so as to receive the wool from the blower in substantial amounts to form a blanket of proper thickness and density and deliver the product through an opening 11 at the end of the chamber 7 opposite the nozzle 9. To compress the loose blanket of wool formed on the conveyor 10, an endless belt l2 is mounted near the upper end of the conveyor l() in position to press the particles uponr said conveyor and to form the bat 13, which is delivered asa continuous sheet upon a chute 14 (Fig. 1). s

Suitable molten mineral for the formation of the wool is prepared -in the usual way in a cupola 15, which delivers a continuous stream of the mineralthrough the spout 16. As the molten material falls from the spout 16, it is struck by the jet of steam or air from the nozzle 9, said nozzle being supplied with suitable fluid under pressure through a pipe 17. v

The lower part 7 of the chamber 7- is separated from the upper part, by the conveyor 10, and I prefer to draw air downward through the conveyor by means of a pipe 18 and blower 19. IThe delivery outlet of the blower 19 is connected byv a pipe 20 with a manifold 21, which communicates with the interior of the .cupola 15 to supply the forced Details 'of the construction of the conveyor and suitable'driving mechanism therefor are 'shown in Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive. As here shown, the conveyor 10 consists of an endless wire screen extending from side to -side and 10 substantiallyv from end to end offthe chamber of the chamber 7.

7 and supported at its side edges by a pair of endlesschains 22., I have found that a screen formed from three strand, tinned wire of No. 32 gage and 8 to 12 mesh is suitable for the conveyor l0.

Ppyver driven sprocket wheels 23 are Vmounted upon a shaft 24 at the upper or delivery end of the conveyorlO, while a pair of sprocket wheels 25 are arranged to guide the vchains 22 at their opposite ends, the latter sprocket wheels being supported upon a shaft 26. This shaft 26 has suitable bearings in the side walls of the chamber 7. To support the bed or wire of the conveyor 10, I provide at suitable intervals transverse angle bars 27, which are carried by the chains 22. The chains 22 have projecting ears 28 to which the bars 27 and screen are secured and said chains run in recesses 29 inthe side walls of the chamber 7 and are supported upon rails 30 in said recesses.

The power driven shaft 24 is journalled in suitable bearings 31', projecting from the end At one end, the shaft 24 projects and has fixed thereon a sprocket wheel 32, adapted to be driven by a chain 33. The chain 33 is in turn driven by a sprocket wheel 34 upon a shaft 35 (Figs. 3 and 6). A worm Wheel 36 isl xed on the shaft 35 and adapted to be driven by a worm 37 upon a shaft 38. The speed of rotation of the shaft 38 may be varied by'operating a wheel 39 for controlling a variable speed transmission 40 of common type. The power shaft 41 may be driven by electric motor connected thereto by a suitable belt operating upon a pulley 41", Fixed on the end of the shaft 34, opposite the sprocket wheel 32, is a pulley 42, which drives a belt 43 and the latter belt operates a pulley 44 upon a drive shaft 45 for the compression belt 12.

Width of the conveyor 10 and is supported at its ends upon suitable drums. One of these drums is driven by the shaft 45 to operate said belt in the direction indicated by arrows 1n Fig. 5. It will be noted that the lower run of the belt 12 is located adjacent to the conveyor 10 and at an angle to the upper run of sald conveyor so as to compress the loose blanket of mineral wool upon the upper sur- Aface of the conveyor 10 To facilitate adj ustment of the pressure applied by the belt 12, I mount the drum 46 upon a shaft 47, which 1s supported at its ends upon a pair of angle bars 48.- These angle bars are pivotaldly colinected attheir inner ends to the shaft 45 and arranged to'be raised and lowered at their outer ends bysuitable turn buckles49 (Figs.

Band 5).

In pperation, the conveyor 10 isdriven in the dlrection indicated in Figs. 1 and 5 at a slow speed, say at a lineal speed of 1/ to 2 feet perminute, depending upon the thickof the bat 13 required.

Vfer to place measured This belt 12 extends the the mineral fibers are formed and blown into:` the chamber 7 by the jet of steam or air, they settle upon the upper run of the moving -conveyor 10. Settling is expediated and the fibrous structure of the bat is improved by the downward draft created by removing the air beneath the conveyor 10. As will be readily understood, the air in the chamber 7 is vheated by the steam jet and by the hot mineral, so that air taken into the pipe 18 is hot and the blower 19 delivers this hot air into the draft manifold 21 of the cupola 15. This increases the efficiency of the cupola and at the same time avoids separate heating means for the air. By reason of the foraminous nature of the conveyor 10, particles of undesirable matter, such as the glass beads or shot, which are heavier than the liber, fall near the receiving end of the chamber 7 and pass through the conveyor at this end where the mineral fibers do not obstruct the passage of such matter. Thus, these undesirable par'- ticles are, to a considerable extent, eliminated from the bat 13. As the brous particles fall upon the conveyor they form a felted loose blanket. As this loose blanket of fiber approaches the delivery end of the conveyor 10, it is compressed by the belt 12, the lower run of which is operated in the same `direction and at the same speed as the upper run of the conveyor l0. Obviously, the pressure applied by the belt 12 may be adjusted by means of the turn buckles 49.

It will now be understood that a compact, continuous bat or blanket of the mineral fibers is delivered upon the chute 14. I prequantities of the bat in rollsfor shipping. Thus, a sheet of'paper may be rolled with the bat to retain the same inthe form of a compact quilt of uniform thickness and density. It will be evident that this blanket can be used for insulating purposes with a minimum of installation work. To adjust the thickness of the bat, it is only necessary to change the speed of the conveyor 10 by operating the control Wheel 39 of the transmission 40. W'heresubstantiall changes in thickness of the bat are required, it will be necessary to change the position of the compression belt 12, relative to the upper run of the conveyor 10, by operating the turn buckles 49.

While I have shown the conveyor 10 in4 inclined position, with vthe 'delivery end higher than the receiving end, I do not consider this essential to successful operation. Thus, the conveyor may be arranged substantially horizontallj7 or inclined inthe other direction if desired to meet the conditions of a particular CaSe.

In mostvconditions under which mineral.

economy in hand ing and shipping the material. It will thus be seen that by forming a bat of required thickness and density during the usual process of blowing the wool, I romote both eiiciency and economy`.

aving described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described the combination with a settling chamber having 1' vertical sidewalls, means for forming mineral wool fibers and for blowing them into said chamber, a conveyor arranged in said chamber to receive said particles and extend- .ing sidewise from one of said walls to the v other to receive freely falling particles, means `for compressing the fibers and means for operating said conveyor to deliver' a loosely felted blanket of fibers at an end of said chamber. v y m 2. In a machine of the class described'the combination with a settling chamber, oit

means for forming mineral 'wool bers and for blowing them into said chamber, a conveyor arranged to receive said fibers as they Y fallin the chamber 'and means for operating said conveyor to deliver a loosely felted blanket of bers of predetermined thickness and density at an end of said chamber.

3. Ina machine of the class described the combination with a settling chamber, means for forming mineral wool iber's and for blowing them into said chamber, a foraminous I conveyor arranged in said chamber to receive said particles, suction means in the lower part of the chamber for drawing the fibers down upon the conveyor and means for operatingsaid conveyor to deliver a loosely felted blanket of ibers at an end of said chamber.

4. The method of forming mineral wool 40 into a hat, which consists in creating fibrous particles from a molten mass by applying a jet thereto and immediately allowing said particles to settle upon a foraminous support to form a loosely felted blanket, compressing said blanket and retaining the same in the :form of a bat until used.

5.The method of forming mineral wool l into a hat, which consists in producing Iibrous particles from a molten mass by applying a jet thereto and allowing said particles to settle in the form of a loosely felted blanket, continuously moving said blanket and com-` pressing said blanket to form a continuous bat of the desired/thickness and density. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

vWILLIAM LOTT MILLER. 

